Work in Progress 4 – Even More Modeling

April 6, 2013

So, I got the retopology and UVing out of the way early so I can spend maximum time perfecting the model without worrying too much about time constraints. It also means I can export normal/diffuse maps every now and then and see how the model looks in 3DS Max. This is important as this is where the final render will come from so it doesn’t matter how good it looks in ZBrush if I can’t get the details across.

Im starting to refine details now, the ear below looked accurate at a glance, but when putting it next to good reference it could be improved:

The placement of the eyes (at this stage looking way too big but something I can easily sort out later):

Another reason why it is good to retopologise early is that I can retop while the model is still symmetrical, meaning only retopologising one half of the model. Below you can see the difference once I add symmetry to the face. It completely changes the character and makes it look a lot more human:

At this stage, I roughly painted on a face from medium quality reference using spotlight. This was to get to grips with the tool and see how my model looks. Below you can see it compared to the source reference material:

The modek looks reasonably accurate from the front but the sides need work. The texture looks good on the model but is not of a high enough resolution to be useable for the final product. Also I was unable to find a profile photo with similar lighting so texturing the rest of the head would be messy. I have made a rough hair mesh. Again, to help with modeling – proportions etc. Also good to see how he looks!

The below image is a GIF so click on it if it hasn’t loaded. It is a render from ZBrush taken into Photoshop and edited to match the original photo. From this I can make the relevant changes to the model.

Modeling the clothes.. supposed to be wearing a jumper and linen trousers. Doesn’t look quite right, but again, a first attempt:

I also modeled the clothes of the other character. His attire was previously unknown as I had mostly been concentrating on trying to make a good face. I have decided upon a policeman. Inspired somewhat by Danny Devitos character in Friends.. I box modeled a rough shape and then refined.

Again, retopologised the hat to get it out of the way:

Below is my workflow in 3DS Max to create the clothes. I close up the holes as ZBrush doesn’t always cope with holes. Then divide it in half so that I can UV unwrap it. This means only having to unwrap half, with a seam already created. It also takes up half the texture space which means higher quality materials in my final render.

The geometry is then imported back into ZBrush and given depth and shape. I created a simple collar in ZBrush which is low-poly enough that I can export it to 3DS Max as-is.

The modified base geometry imported back in 3DS Max:

Creating smaller parts quickly by cloning faces of the base mesh. Next stage is back to ZBrush to sculpt high resolution details onto the clothes and texture it all using spotlight to paint photo reference onto the model.